New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman Breaks Ankle During Charity Skydive

By Michael Terrill

The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman broke his right ankle skydiving with the Army Golden Knights Monday morning.

Cashman was in Florida at Homestead Air Force Base, making two jumps to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project charity event that informs the public of the needs of servicemen and women who have been injured.

The Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s parachute team, jumped out of an airplane and landed in Yankee Stadium last summer. The Yankees have agreed to a Spring Training game that is scheduled to be played at West Point on March 30. Cashman was at the Air Force base to finalize the details and decided to take the Golden Knights up on their offer to make a jump with them to seal the deal. Fox 5 television reporter Duke Castiglione also agreed to skydive with Cashman as both men were matched up with a military member to make the tandem jump.

“It’s an opportunity to do something that a lot of people don’t do or will ever do, so that’s awesome,” Cashman said last week when he announced the jump. “It’s called living. But it’s not on my list of something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m kind of excited for the opportunity to do it, but at the same time, big-time nervous about doing it.”

The first attempt went brilliantly as Cashman made it to the ground safely without any issues. He enjoyed the adrenaline rush so much that he was successfully talked into going up a second time. Unfortunately, the next jump did not go flawlessly as he felt pain in his ankle once he landed on the ground and was taken immediately to the local hospital. It was later revealed that he had broken the ankle, something that did not come as a surprise to the general manger after he felt a pop on impact.

Yankees fans have to be proud of their GM for doing something to raise awareness for America’s troops. However, after Derek Jeter’s ankle injury in the postseason and Curtis Granderson’s fractured forearm that will keep him out at least 10 weeks, Cashman’s injury does not bode well for what appears to be coming. Injuries are something that happens frequently in baseball, considering the length of the season, but when the going is bad, it typically gets worse.